Fast-track abortion condemned

Archbishop of Armagh, Eamon Martin, strongly criticised the decision of the Westminster government to “fast track” the rollout of abortion services in Northern Ireland.

“The abortion regulations being introduced… are predicated on the assumption that the unborn child in the womb has no right to love, care and protection from society unless the child is wanted. Nothing could be further from the truth. None of us acquire our humanity, or our fundamental right to existence, on the basis of whether or not we are wanted.”

 

Escape our inner jail

In his Angelus address last Sunday Pope Francis said:

“We at times find ourselves in an inner jail, unable to recognise the newness of the Lord, whom we perhaps hold captive in the presumption that we already know everything about him. One never knows everything about God. Perhaps we have in mind a powerful God who does what he wants, instead of the God of humble meekness, the God of mercy and love, who always intervenes, respecting our freedom and our choices... Advent is a time for overturning our perspectives, for letting ourselves be surprised by God’s mercy. God always astonishes.”

 

See the human face

At the 113th council meeting of the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) in Geneva, the Holy See’s Permanent Observer, Archbishop Fortunatus Nwachukwu, said: “Without ignoring the political and legal aspects of irregular migration, we must never lose sight of the human face of migration and the fact that, beyond the geographical divisions of borders, we are part of a single human family.”

Nwachukwu, lamented the growing use of migrants “as pawns on a chessboard, victims of political rivalries”.

 

(Compiled by Fr Joe Borg)